The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement,
for all its flaws, is a genuine expression of the growing recognition
in the United States that the government no longer serves
the interests of the people. It has been described as an
American version of the “Arab Spring,” driven by a sense of popular
alienation from the elites who dominate the politics and economies
of so many countries. Whatever its antecedents, the idea that
the people must again have a voice in their own destinies clearly has
a broad appeal, as the movement has sparked similar protests in
Europe and Asia.

In the United States, because many of
the activists describe themselves as progressive or liberal, the
movement
is increasingly reviled by conservative pundits as “un-American,”
even though its objectives are frequently identical to those of the tea
parties on the political right. There was, indeed, initially some
confusion on how exactly to describe the developing threat. Leading
neoconservative Charles Krauthammer of The Washington Post initially
saw a radical
chic rebellion as the “Starbucks-sipping, Levi’s-clad,
iPhone-clutching protesters denounce corporate America.” He castigated the “indignant
indolents saddled with their $50,000 student loans and English degrees
[who] have decided that their lack of gainful employment is rooted in
the malice of the millionaires.”

But then the perception changed
when the protesters did not go away and grew
in number, joined by a handful of labor unions, challenging the status
quo more directly. The demonstrators were described as “attacking”
the police, and media accounts were replete with the familiar slogans
of the Vietnam War, that the protesters are dirty, libidinous,
and Communist-inspired. Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh
called them “lousy hippies, thieves, rapists, purse snatchers,
and muggers.” Glenn Beck, until recently a fixture on Fox
television, described them as “lice-infested” misfits spreading
disease, committing murders and rapes, and engaging in public defecation
and fornication.

But a new
formulation has been creeping into the invective. Because the attacks were
on Wall Street, the movement was initially framed by some critics as
anti-Semitic because of the large number of Jews who work in the financial
services industry. Beck sees something even more insidious: Islamic radicalism that is aiming to overthrow the government of
the United States. In his odd mixture of ostentatious religiosity
and gutter politics, he describes how God speaks to us, noting,
however, that the God who advises going around blowing things up is
likely the “God of the Arab Spring.” In other words, for some
so-called conservative commentators, an essential element that
can be used to marginalize the protest movement is to label it Islamic.

Islamophobia is not exactly new, but
it attained a greater popularity in the wake of 9/11. Everyone
needs someone to blame when terrible events take place, and Islam, which
is culturally alien to most Americans, is a convenient scapegoat, leading
to campaigns vilifying Shariah law and raising suspicions about Muslims
in general. It is perhaps no coincidence that the woman who is
possibly the most vocal anti-Muslim in the United States, Pamela Geller,
has been leading the charge linking
anti-Semitism to the OWS movement. One Geller headline screams “Muslim Groups Back Occupy Wall Street Protesters.”
Geller is successful in finding anti-Semitism and insidious Islamic
influence in many places, enabled in her task by her conflation of anti-Israel
with anti-Semitic. In her mind and those of her supporters, the
two are essentially the same.

To be sure, some of the attempt to label
the Occupy movement as anti-Semitic is purely political, an attempt
to tie the protesters with President Barack
Obama, who was once a community organizer and who has failed to strongly condemn the movement. But there is also a clear
attempt being made to marginalize any and all criticism of Israel, which
has recently been the focus of an increasingly open debate related to
the more than $3 billion in foreign aid that it receives at a time when
the United States economy is suffering.

Since it is a movement born from widespread
frustration with the status quo and derived from many perspectives, the
Occupy Wall Street crowd does not have any standardized or uniform message.
To be sure, some protesters who have been linked to the movement are
also highly critical of United States foreign policy, their message
being that the constant wars have eroded the nation’s ability to deal
with more serious problems at home. And some have connected Israel
with those wars, not without reason. And there are indeed some
that blame America’s Jews for the country’s ills, but they are a
tiny minority, even if the media has done its best to find them and
interview them. In fact, some American groups that are normally
highly sensitive to the issue of anti-Semitism, including the Anti-Defamation
League and the American Jewish Committee, conducted their own investigations and determined that the movement is not anti-Semitic.
So why do the attempts to link the movement to hatred of Jews continue?

For some in the media and the foreign policy punditry, any criticism of Israel, directly
or implicitly, is unacceptable. Blogger Jennifer Rubin noted
a sign held by an Arab American that said “Gaza Supports the Occupation
of Wall Street,” which she described as a “vile scene.”

That is precisely what has triggered
the neoconservative response in places like The Wall Street Journal,
The Weekly Standard, and the New York Post. In addition to
Geller and the talk radio pantheon, the list of leading Republicans
and self-styled conservatives who have attacked the Occupy movement
is virtually a who’s who of the most passionate supporters of Israel
and promoters of Islamophobia, many brought together by an organization called
the Emergency
Committee for Israel, which
is headed by William Kristol of The Weekly Standard. ECI
advocates the creation of a “pro-Israel presidency” for the United States.

Frank Gaffney, another leading herald
of the Islamic threat to the United States, heads the Center for
Security Policy. He has been described as “unhinged” partly for his extremist comments regarding
Muslims, including saying recently, “They are trying to impose what are
known as Shariah blasphemy laws, whereby anyone who says anything critical
about Islam, no matter how true, is to be silenced. It is actually a
capital offense.” In January 2011, Gaffney claimed that the American Conservative Union, a venerable right-wing Republican organization, had been infiltrated by
the “Muslim Brotherhood.” He has also insisted that the purpose
of building mosques is “to destroy Western civilization from within.”
Gaffney has called for the creation of a new House Un-American Activities
Committee to look into the activities of Muslims living in the United States, and
he now links the Occupy crowd to communism and Nazism.

David Horowitz, founder of the David
Horowitz Freedom Center, whose stated mission is to “combat the efforts
of the radical left and its Islamist allies to destroy American values
in a time of terror,” calls the Occupy supporters “morons” and “idiots.”
Robert Spencer, who runs the website Jihad Watch, objected recently to
a reality show depicting Muslim families in America by demanding that
it include terrorists. He writes
that “The Leftist/jihadist alliance has been
on abundant display during the Occupy protests.”
So the unanimity on the part of many
pundits and politicians in condemning the Occupy Wall Street movement
can be explained in terms of their other interests. Damaging
President Obama is a high priority, but Occupiers’ explicit or implicit
criticism of U.S. foreign policy also challenges the Israel-centric view
of American national security, and the demands that foreign aid be
eliminated or cut pose a rather more direct challenge, as Israel is
a major recipient of such assistance. And the merest hint that
American Muslims might be joining in the protests or sympathetic to
them provides the necessary ammunition to discredit the rest of the
message. As is so often the case in American
politics, the punditry’s hostile response to Occupy Wall Street is
really largely
about Israel.

The parasites who benefit from the status quo are obviously going to be hostile to any protest and suggestions of reform. The Occupy movement is one of the greatest things that has happened in America in a long time. Too long has the 99% watched silently as the 1% cause havoc with the country and the world, without impunity, accountability or consequences for them while the world is at the brink of collapse. And it's really, really nice to know that Gaza supports it. BTW, the emergency committee for israel now has a video of the Gaza poster with the title "Hate at occupy wall protests." Just who is filled with hate here?

What if we replaced "Islam" with some other religion or group of people in all the comments by the anti jihadist lunatics. Surely they would be considered bigots and racists. In general these clowns are living in a different era and/or a different place, perhaps some miserable piece of desert. They may live in America but they're not Americans and have no understanding of what America stands for and has accomplished.

In any event, the hysteria to label the Occupy Movement with all insults they can come up with is just a cheap strategy to get as many folks with knee-jerk reaction to a certain term to dislike the occupiers. By the way, many of the slurs heaped on them resemble those that have been used against Ron Paul and his supporters over the years. When all else fails, use the anti-semitism canard, how original. Except that these ridiculous campaigns of hate against everyone who is not rich isn't going to go anywhere. As long as there are no jobs and the world economy continues its trajectory downhill, there will be just more of them. How about these folks who have such a wide audience demand that elites do something constructive. But working toward the improvement of America isn't something that interest these useless bureaucrats of the US offices of israel's ministry of propaganda.

june8642

Well said — it is time to stop the foreign aid to any country that has a lower rate of unemployment than the rate in the United States. It is time to stop all foreign aid to any country that can offer its citizens a free education through college. Spend the money for U.S. citizens. There are 49 million people in the U.S. living below the poverty level. Use our tax dollars to support the needs of this country. Israel offers more to its 5 million citizens than any American citizen receives. Remember those Occupy Wall Street college students owe loans for attending college while our legislators vote to provide U.S. tax dollars for Israeli students to receive free education gratis our tax dollars. Stop interfering with Middle Eastern countries. If Israel wants peace let it solve the problem of resistance when taking land from other nations and the Palestinians and monopolization of the water resources.
.

Watson

Any country that can afford to create and maintain a nuclear arsenal doesn't need foreign aid. I can think of three right away: Israel, Pakistan and India.

Jack

Remove all the foreign aid…THEN CUT THE TAXES ACCORDINGLY!!

sherban

If someone compares the demented hatred which is the content of Glen Beck,Geller,Horowitz,Spencer etc.speeches with those of whatsoever others ,those considered by American common ideology as representing the EVIL,such as communists ,Islamists,socialists etc.then he will see that nowhere exists or existed such a sentiment of self superiority and despise and hatred for all others.I think that even Nazi propaganda was less poisoned then this of the neocons.Not a little try to understand what make the Muslims positions,only demonizition.The evil is incorporated in the Muslims nothing to do to change it only wars.Now an American citizen Alawaki was assassinated because his incitement to violence.I read some quotas from his speeches but are incomparable less violent then those of the people reminded in article.

Smithboy

I would love to see a House on Un-American Activities Com.' formed to investigate AIPAC and Bill Kristol. As for Pam Geller, Krauthammer and David Horowitz, their radical hatred for Muslim arabs can only be compared to Bull Conner and the KKK's attempt to dehumanize blacks. One only needs to look at Gaza to see a perfect example of the Jewish mindset towards Muslims. Israel's attempt to starve Palestinians and confiscate Palestinian's land is classic ethnic cleansing.

Zionist Jews are especially vigilant when it comes to keeping a keen eye out for anything that smacks of hatred for jews, but they're not as vigilant at identifying their own racial and religious hatred.

Philip Giraldi for president.

Bob D

I was disappointed then disgusted that there wasn't more antiwar sentiment in the OWS movement. Now you tell me Horowitz is against the OWS movement? Hey! OWS must be doing something right.

Alan T

Thanks for participating, Mr. Geller.

Alan T

Oops. Wrong reply. My mistake.

RickR30

Excellent point. You can tell how right and good the Occupy movement is by looking at who attacks and hates it.

Bruce Richardson

Brilliant analysis from Dr. Phil. How is it that the Jewish lobby and its friends in Congress forget as to how the Jewish people were persecuted prior to and during WWII, and yet have no difficulty in devoting all their energy to persecuting others…in this case the Muslim World. It seems that Israel is the tail that wags the US dog. The key to halting so-called terrorism therefore is not to embark on a witch hunt…but is to cease and desist from bombing other countries. As Peter Ustinov once remarked "terrorism is the poor mans war…and war is the rich man's terrorism."

john

While I agree that the occupy members general message is that they are fed up with the political/corporate/media alliance that controls the nation, it is time they become mores specific about what it is they want to change and to offer a plan of action.

Without such a defined agenda they risk being viewed as selfish and self centered individuals who are just upset that they have to pay back their student loans, or those who took home equity loans to support a lavish lifestyle of destination weddings, home theatres, vacations and expensive cars, and now want the banks to suffer the losses by refinancing the homes at the current value.

The Ghurki

Don't forget anti-fascist radio broadcaster Dave Emory as a purveyor of Islamist conspiracy theory; he conflates anti-semitism with OWS and "Islamo-fascism" with the Grover Norquist/Roger Ailes. The mixture he calls "the undergound reich" a sort reverse Protocols of the Elders theory that he peddles on progressive and college radio. Must be heard to believe.

oldatlantic

I went down to OWS in DC at Freedom Plaza. I talked to one person, who said the objective was the 9th Amendment and he asked me to read it aloud.

He warned me against the criminal element at Occupy DC at McPherson Square. This person might not have been that far from the criminal element himself. But I gave him half my sandwich and moved on.

OWS has a whiteboard up in Freedom Plaza DC with their list of goals. I do not remember Israel as being listed. I have looked at it several times. They are not primarily foreign policy focused.

Jaime

The more the US tries to stifle popular dissent, the more terrible the consequences will be in the end. While they may just want some changes now, later they will ask for a revolution. I think this is what the US needs at this point because cosmetic changes won't do any more.

Agvo

These neocons and Islamophobes see things only through the Israel prism. They ask themselves if a policy is good or bad for Israel. If they feel that it is bad for Israel, they attack it, and if they feel that it is good for Israel they endorse it, no matter whom it hurts.

Kelley V

Great analysis Phil — i had no idea about the Geller connection. Yuck.

These guys are still in charge. OWS clearly has a message, and that amendment to the unconstitutional Patriot Act is most likely no coincidence at this time.

Abduh

Being on the tether-end of life expectancy of a Muslim, i.e.65+ years, all I can see and predict is the like of these (those?) neo-cons will be drowned in their own own filth and slanders.
Only time will tell, maybe not in my lifetime.
Older folks than me wisely said, "what goes around, come around".